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By Kasra Naji

BBC Persian

Iran has launched strikes against targets in three allied countries – Syria, Iraq and Pakistan – in two days. Pakistan responded with a missile attack on Iranian territory. So why did Iran do it, and why did it happen now?

Everything suggests Iran’s military, the Revolutionary Guards, were under pressure to act from Islamic hardliners inside the country.

These hardliners are increasingly unhappy with Iran apparently standing by as Israel kills huge numbers of Palestinians in Gaza.

They are also angry that Iran did nothing after its arch-enemy Israel assassinated a number of top Revolutionary Guard commanders in Syria – and only verbally supported the Houthis when they came under US-UK strikes.

And then there’s the bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) in the Iranian city of Kerman two weeks ago, which killed at least 84 people.

The Guards felt they had to act somehow, without ratcheting up tensions with Israel or the US. Iran has been careful not to get directly involved in the Israel-Gaza war – though it does offer military support to Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah.

But in striking Syria, Iraq and Pakistan, they appear to have have scored a few own goals.

Iran said the missile and drone attack inside Pakistan targeted militant group Jaish al-Adli – what it calls an “Iranian terrorist group”. But Pakistan says it killed two children.

Pakistan, a nuclear power, felt it had to respond to the strike – which was a clear violation of Pakistani sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also undermined Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence.

So it launched attacks of its own against what it said were hideouts of Pakistani “terrorists” based in Iran – the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front. Iran says three women, two men and four children were killed.

The tit-for-tat attacks have left the normally good relations between the neighbours seriously damaged. The Revolutionary Guard did not anticipate this reaction from Pakistan.

Iran and Pakistan share a 900km (560 mile) border which is difficult for either to control without cooperation. Pakistan has been a valuable ally in international forums, often voting in favour of Tehran.

• Iran shows missile capabilities with regional strikes
• Pakistan launches retaliatory strikes into Iran

The attack on Syria appears to have been in response to the killings in Kerman. But even there, there are no reports of a big hit against IS or hardline Sunni groups, as Iran claims.

In Iraq – perhaps Iran’s closest neighbour and ally – the government is infuriated by attacks where Iran used some 11 ballistic missiles to hit a target in Irbil, in the Iraqi region of Kurdistan.

Iran claimed it had targeted an operations centre of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. But Iraqi and Kurdish authorities say the house of a well-known businessman was hit, killing him along with his wife and two children, one of whom was under one year old.

Iraq’s government has complained to the UN Security Council, which is due to discuss the attacks. The incident has eroded neighbourly relations cultivated over years, in spite of several issues between the two nations.

The Revolutionary Guards may have taken the decision to launch the attacks against the three countries after only consulting Iran’s supreme leader. There are signs the foreign minister was not consulted before the attacks were launched.

The attacks this week appear to have undermined Iran’s international position further, putting its https://tehopeng.com/defences at risk and making the Revolutionary Guard look reckless and prone to taking uncalculated risks.

By Smitha Mundasad

Inside Health Presenter, BBC Radio 4

It’s not often you meet someone who gets a round of applause for farting on stage.

“I was giving a talk in London and I had mentioned earlier about my flatulence,” Niall McCann says.

He’d explained to the audience that a speed flying accident in 2016 – in which he smashed into the Brecon Beacons mountains at 50mph – had left him with bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction.

“And then it happened very prominently and everyone started clapping,” he says.

We met for an episode of BBC Radio 4’s Inside Health.

In the programme he spoke very candidly – and with surprising humour and positivity – about his accident, the surgery to reconstruct his spine and his remarkable recovery.

One of the things we spoke about was what it’s been like for him living with bladder and bowel and sexual problems – the intimate challenges that don’t often get talked about.

He says he’s happy to talk because “there’s stigma and there shouldn’t be”, and he hopes that by being open maybe he will help others.

And while he recognises many others are less fortunate, as spinal injuries can often cause lasting paralysis, he wants to shine light on things people often deal with silently.

‘Trying to be a hero when I was a beginner’

On that day almost eight years ago, Niall decided the conditions were perfect to go speed-flying.

He says it is a bit like paragliding, except that instead of gliding, you run off a cliff and plummet to the ground, but on that day he was “trying to be a hero when I was really a beginner”.

Niall accidentally turned a few degrees too far, smashing into the Brecon Beacons mountainside.

• Listen to Inside Health podcast: Bowels, bladders and sex: learning to live after my mountain accident

Niall spent 38 days at the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff, having operations on his spine and learning how to use his legs again.

The major concern was how much damage had been done to his spinal cord, which is a bundle of nerves that transmits information between the brain and the body. If damaged, there can be a range of problems, including paralysis.

But because Niall had bruised his, rather than cut it, the chance of recovery – although often incomplete – was greater.

There were many considerable challenges in hospital but once home, there were even more adjustments to be made – not least to his relationship and how he saw himself.

“At first I had the overwhelming sense of being utterly dependant. I couldn’t reach around my backside – so I couldn’t take myself to the toilet,” he says.

His wife, mother and brother all helped out.

“This wasn’t part of the marriage vows,” he reflects, “But they did it without complaining.”

There was one particular incident that he credits for giving him motivation to regain his independence in the bathroom.

His mother-in-law, who was a nurse, was due to come round just weeks after the accident.

“So she had wiped many bottoms of course, but I didn’t want one of them to be mine,” he says.

• First disabled team crosses Europe’s largest ice cap in just 11 days
• Niall McCann joins mountain rescue team who saved him

Humour aside, learning to live with a loss of control of his bowels was not easy.

“What many spinal cord injury patients do is manually evacuate their bowels – using their hands to pull out whatever is in their rectum at the time,” he explains.

“It took a bit of time for me to learn to do this.”

One of the funniest moments, he recalls, was a few weeks after the accident when he attempted a pull-up at his mum’s house.

“My brother had a pull-up bar on the door-frame.

“Of course I wanted to see if I could do it. So I did very cautiously.”

This put pressure on Niall’s core so he checked his incontinence pad – and it was empty.

“But my brother was stood right behind me and he watched as I curled out a very large stool on the dining-room floor,” he recalls.

‘Minor imposition’

Over time, accidents like this became less frequent.

And Niall says while it did not feel good to have them he needed to manage this “by-product” of his accident as best he could.

Now it is just “a minor imposition” that he is mindful of at certain moments.

“For example, when my daughter wants me to throw her in the air, I need to think about when I last opened my bowels.”

Another consequence of the damage to the nerves in this area is that he cannot relax his bladder to pee, something he has in common with many people with spinal cord injuries.

Niall now uses an intermittent catheter – a tube that allows him to empty his bladder.

But he thinks many people do not realise that spinal cord injuries often cause lasting problems with your bladder and bowels.

And even less frequently spoken about is sex.

‘Stepping into the unknown’

For every spinal cord patient the situation is unique – but for some it is an inability to get aroused and there can be ejaculation issues, he explains.

This has been one of the most challenging aspects of his recovery.

“So much starts afresh in terms of your married life when you come home with a life-changing injury.

“You are learning a lot of new things about each other. It is almost like being teenagers.”

At the beginning Niall slept downstairs, because the stairs were a challenge.

But when he was able to climb them, he had mixed emotions,

Downstairs, it turned out, had become a bit of a sanctuary.

“It almost felt like a pressure to go back into cohabiting after having had my own space. That almost felt like stepping into something new and unknown again.”

But if you really want to pursue an intimate relationship with your partner – then just trying things and finding out what works is so important, he says.

“And this will probably take some experimentation and some frustration and some embarrassment. But the other person is learning at the same time – you are both learning together.

“I am very lucky at how patient, accommodating and accepting my wife has been,” he adds.

In Niall’s case, he was warned very early on that having children might be difficult.

So the couple immediately registered for IVF.

Niall says he knows how lucky it is that Phoebe was born three years after his accident.

“If I hadn’t had my accident we wouldn’t have Phoebe – we would have had another child probably – but we wouldn’t have had her, and she is the best thing to come out of this.”

Niall acknowledges his recovery has had ups and downs, but he says talking about it has been so important.

“A lot of people don’t feel like they can, and I am in the fortunate position of being able to. I hope my openness allows other people to share with their loved ones too.”https://tehopeng.com/

By Mark Lowen

BBC News, Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has told the United States that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state once the conflict in Gaza comes to an end.

In a news conference, a defiant Mr Netanyahu vowed to press on with the offensive in Gaza “until complete victory”: the destruction of Hamas and return of the remaining Israeli hostages, adding that it could take “many more months”.

With almost 25,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and 85% of the Strip’s population displaced, Israel is under intense pressure to rein in its offensive and engage in meaningful talks over a sustainable end to the war.

Israel’s allies, including the US – and many of its foes – have urged a revival of the long-dormant “two-state solution”, in which a future Palestinian state would sit side-by-side with an Israeli one.

The hope in many circles is that the current crisis could force the warring parties back to diplomacy, as the only viable alternative to endless cycles of violence. But from Mr Netanyahu’s comments, his intention appears quite the opposite.

Speaking to reporters following Mr Netanyahu’s latest comments, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby recognised that the US and Israel “obviously” see things differently.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel must have security control over all land west of the River Jordan, which would include the territory of any future Palestinian state.

“This is a necessary condition, and it conflicts with the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty. What to do? I tell this truth to our American friends, and I also stopped the attempt to impose a reality on us that would harm Israel’s security,” he said.

• 100 days since unthinkable attack triggered devastating war
• Israel-Palestinian bitterness deepened by Hamas attack and war

Mr Netanyahu has spent much of his political career opposing Palestinian statehood, boasting just last month that he was proud to have prevented its establishment, so his latest remarks come as no surprise.

But the very public rebuttal of Washington’s diplomatic push, and determination to stay the current military course, show the chasm widening with Israel’s western allies.

Since the 7 October attacks – the worst in Israel’s history, when Hamas gunmen killed about 1,300 Israelis and took some 240 hostage – the US has supported its right to defend itself.

But as the death toll in Gaza has grown, and the scenes of horror there have abounded, Western governments have called for Israeli restraint.

The White House has repeatedly tried to influence Israel’s military policy: urging more precision-guided weapons rather than the blanket air strikes; discouraging a ground offensive; and calling for a two-state solution, with a role for the Palestinian Authority in post-conflict Gaza.

Mr Kirby said the US has been “exceedingly clear” about what it wants Gaza to look like after the war.

“We want governance in Gaza that’s representative of the aspirations of the Palestinian people, that they have a vote and a voice in what that looks like and that there’s no reoccupation of Gaza,” he said.

Washington’s advice has frequently fallen on deaf ears or been met by outright rejection – often publicly so, during visits by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

That, in turn, has hardened frustration in some American circles over the Biden administration’s apparent blanket support for Israel, with strident calls to put conditions on US aid to its Middle East ally.

Israel’s prime minister’s comments will please his dwindling support base and the far-right ministers who prop up his government.

But they will dismay those at home and abroad who are increasingly horrified by the human cost of this war. Recent polls show most Israelis want him to prioritise bringing the remaining hostages home over the potentially impossible aim of destroying Hamas.https://tehopeng.com/

By Doug Faulkner

BBC News

The UK has successfully fired a high-power laser weapon against an aerial target for the first time in a trial.

It is hoped that the test will pave the way for a low-cost alternative to missiles to shoot down targets like drones.

The DragonFire weapon is precise enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometre away, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) says.

It described the test, at its Hebrides Range in Scotland, as a “major step” in bringing the technology into service.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the technology could reduce “the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage”.

The MoD says both the Army and Royal Navy are considering using the technology as part of their future air defence capabilities.

While laser weaponry might sound like something from science fiction the US Navy has already installed systems on several destroyers.

However, missiles rather than lasers have been used to shoot down drones during the current conflict with Houthis in the Red Sea.

Missiles can be far more expensive than the drones they destroy, with some costing millions of pounds compared to a few thousand.

The MoD says firing the DragonFire system for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour, with the cost of operating it typically less than £10 per shot.

Laser-directed energy weapons (LDEWs) use an intense light beam to cut through their target and can strike at the speed of light.

The range of the DragonFire system is classified but it is a line-of-sight weapon, meaning it can attack any visible target within range.

It is being developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), alongside some industry partners, on behalf of the MoD.

Dstl’s chief executive Dr Paul Hollinshead said: “These trials have seen us take a huge step forward in realising the potential opportunities and understanding the threats posed by directed energy weapons.”

The DragonFire weapon system is the result of a £100m joint investment by the MoD and industry.

The development of laser weapons comes amid the increasing use of drones in warfare, which has been seen during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with Russia believed to be using Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones to attack Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine, which also uses some “kamikaze” drones, has created its own “army of drones” which has seen the use of hobby drones for military purposes.https://tehopeng.com/

By Jonelle Awomoyi

Host, Reliable Sauce podcast

Would you camp outside a supermarket for a water tumbler that has gone viral on TikTok?

Increasingly, viral buzz means the answer for some is yes, but only if it is a Stanley cup – specifically, the Adventure Quencher Travel Tumbler.

TikTokers in the US documented their experience queuing overnight at a Target supermarket car park in an effort to secure a special Starbucks edition, which retails at an eye-watering $54.50 (£42.99).

The #StanleyCup hashtag now has 7.2 billion views worldwide and is also gaining popularity in the UK on the video-sharing platform.

Thirst for the craze has even seen people resort to attempts at law-breaking, with one popular video showing a man jumping across a Starbucks counter in an effort to steal a hot pink limited edition of the flask.

Making a splash

The Stanley cups, known for their large handle and distinguished straw, were first popularised by eco-friendly, health-conscious, often teenage TikTokers who frequent the platform’s #watertok community, wrote the New York Times in 2022.

The bottle is not the first to become a hit with the public as society becomes more sensitive to single-use plastic – Chilly’s reusable bottles, as well as branded Love Island tumblers, made famous on the show, were previous on-trend items.

The boom in interest has reaped huge financial rewards for Stanley 1913, the drinksware company behind the model.

According to CNBC estimates, profits are likely to rise significantly, as sales for the last year are set to hit about $750m, a sharp increase from the $70m in annual sales made in 2020.

Analysts attribute a large part of the product’s recent success to the company’s president, Terence Reilly, who was appointed back in 2020, having previously been chief marketing officer for Crocs footwear.

The role saw him credited with transforming the previously maligned shoe into a bold fashion statement, and now he seems to be overseeing the same shift for drink bottles.

“Most of his television time has been replaced by watching TikToks,” wrote Ali Donaldson in his Inc. business profile of the executive. “With his track record of driving viral levels of consumer demand, Reilly knows how to reinvigorate brands into online sensations.”

Stanley 1913 was originally founded in its namesake year by William Stanley Junior. An early advert for its bottle design boldly stated it “cannot break!”.

More than a century later, this claim was put to the test last year when TikTok user @danimarielettering filmed the interior of her burnt-out car, only to find her Stanley cup firmly intact by the driver’s seat. She then shakes it, indicating that ice remains inside.

The novelty saw the video rack up a huge 94.8 million views, with the apparent extreme durability of the flask becoming a talking point.

However, while the bottle appears able to endure fire reasonably well, some creators have pointed out that the tumbler is susceptible to leaks if knocked over.

In response, Stanley 1913 told the BBC’s Reliable Sauce podcast: “The Stanley Adventure Quencher is not leak or spill-proof. It has a silicone seal around the straw base designed to help prevent spills. But the lid is not designed to be 100% leak-proof, but help prevent spills and splashes.”

For some TikTok users, this apparent defect is enough for them to try other products they spot online, especially with competing brands constantly fighting for attention on social feeds.

And a Guardian article on a growing backlash saw the craze dismissed as an infantilising obsession with “adult sippy cups”.

Purchase power?

But how much do the videos that TikTok users see on their “for you” page actually sway their purchasing habits?

Market intelligence agency Mintel told the BBC that 86% of Gen Z social media users feel these platforms influence their fashion choices.

US singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo, 20, admitted to GQ magazine that TikTok spurred her into buying a Stanley cup. “I was like, I need this, it looks like it’s going to change my life,” she said.

Of course, Stanley cups are far from the first brand to benefit from online hype. In recent months we have seen a surge in popularity for Prime Energy drinks (popularised by KSI and Logan Paul), as well as Ugg boots, AirPod Max headphones, Telfar bags… and even feta cheese.

But this hype culture also feeds into dupe culture – “dupe” standing for duplicate – and the promotion of purchasing knock-off versions of more expensive items.

And 65% of 16 to 34-year-old beauty and personal care shoppers think product dupes are a good way to save money, according to Mintel.

So, it seems users who have been using TikTok as a search engine (an emerging trend) may well soon be lured towards knock-off Stanley cup alternatives.

At least this would save waiting overnight in a car park.https://tehopeng.com/

By Michelle Roberts

Digital health editor

Some children with cancer are receiving a new type of drug treatment far less toxic than chemotherapy.

Arthur, 11, is one of the first to try it, at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, for his blood cancer.

His family call the therapy “a little bit of sunshine”, since it worked without making Arthur feel much sicker.

And because it could be given on the go, rather than just in hospital, he spent more time at home with his family, enjoying more of what he loves.

He carried it with him in a rucksack – his “blina backpack”.

For Arthur, blinatumomab or blina was his only real option after his chemo had failed to clear all of his cancer and had left him very weak.

Blina is already licensed to treat adults with cancer – and experts hope to show it can safely help children too.

Some 20 centres around the UK are using it off-label for children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL).

The drug is an immunotherapy that seeks out cancer cells so the body’s own immune system can recognise and destroy them.

And this death hunt is precisely targeted – healthy cells are untouched, unlike with chemo.

Blina comes in a bag of liquid administered through a thin plastic tube that remains running into a vein in the patient’s arm for many months.

A battery-operated pump controls how quickly the drug trickles into the bloodstream – a bag can last days.

All of the kit can be carried in a backpack smaller than an A4 textbook, making it fully portable.

For Arthur, that meant he could do other things – like play on the swings in his local park – while the treatment was happening.

And unlike his intensive chemotherapy, which had stopped working anyway, it did not make him too weak to enjoy his days.

‘Constant challenge’

Like other patients on blina, Arthur was given medication to cut the chance of serious reactions or side effects before his infusion started.

At first, he had some bouts of fever and needed to stay in hospital for checks.

But shortly after, he was able to go home.

The backpack stayed with Arthur continuously, including in bed – and even though the pump makes a noise, he was able to have a decent night’s sleep.

Chemo had been rough for Arthur and moving on to blina was a relief, his mother, Sandrine, said.

“It was completely out of his control – we were living in a constant challenge as his body was getting hit by the drugs,” she said.

“We were curing him by making him feel worse – it’s a very difficult thing to process.”

‘Big step’

Arthur had to return to hospital every four days so doctors could top up the blina kit but was able to manage the treatment at home the rest of the time.

“He enjoyed the fact that he was able to hold it and be responsible – he embraced all of it,” Sandrine said.

And at the end of April 2023, Arthur had the final operation to remove the tubing from his arm.

“It was a big step – he was free,” Sandrine said.

Doctors say blina can replace big chunks of chemo – perhaps up to 80% of it.

About 450 children a year in the UK are diagnosed with Arthur’s type of cancer.

Chief investigator and consultant paediatric haematologist Prof Ajay Vora said: “Chemotherapies are poisons that kill the leukaemic cells but also kill and damage normal cells – and that is what causes their side effects.

“Blinatumomab is a gentler, kinder treatment.”

Another targeted immunotherapy drug, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T), has also recently become available.

But it is more expensive than blina and the patient’s own cells must be taken and then altered in the lab before being given back as the medicine, which takes time.

Thanks to all the treatment, Arthur’s cancer has now gone.

Sandrine said: “New Year was when we found out that the blina had worked and there was no residual cancer – and so that was just amazing and so we had double celebrations.”https://tehopeng.com/

By Bethany Bell

BBC News in Vienna

Josef Fritzl, the Austrian sex offender who locked his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, could be moved from a high-security prison, local media reports.

Fritzl, now 88, was jailed for life in 2009 in a case that shocked the world.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reports that a new psychiatric report on Fritzl, who has dementia, says he no longer poses a danger to the public.

It means a court may now decide whether to move him to a normal prison.

Fritzl is being held in a high-security institution for mentally disturbed offenders in Stein Prison, in the town of Krems an der Donau.

In Austria, those sentenced to life in prison can apply for conditional release after serving 15 years – under this law, Fritzl is eligible for parole this year.

Legal experts say conditional release is also a possibility, which means Fritzl, who has since changed his name, could be moved into a care home.

It is “quite obvious that a dismissal will be announced”, Alois Birklbauer, professor of criminal law at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, told ORF.

In 2022, a regional court ruled Fritzl was “no longer a danger” and could be moved to a standard jail – but the Higher Regional Court in Vienna later blocked the decision.

The Fritzl case, which emerged in the town of Amstetten in 2008, has been described as one of the worst in Austria’s criminal history.

He was convicted of murdering one of his children through neglect, as well as rape, incest, and enslaving his daughter.

Fritzl’s daughter and her children have since taken on new identities.https://tehopeng.com/

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Lembaga survei SPIN merilis hasil survei elektabilitas tiga pasangan calon presiden dan calon wakil presiden menjelang Pemilihan Umum Presiden dan Wakil Presiden 2024-2029. Hasilnya, pasangan capres dan cawapres Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka unggul dari dua pasangan calon lainnya.

Survei digelar pada 8 hingga 14 Januari 2024 dengan melibatkan 2.178 responden. Para responden dipilih dengan metode multistage random sampling di 38 provinsi Indonesia.

Survei dilakukan dengan direct interview menggunakan bantuan kuesioner. Adapun margin of error survei +/- 2,1% dengan tingkat kepercayaan 95%.

Para responden ditanyakan ‘seandainya pemilu serentak dilaksanakan hari ini siapakah dari tiga calon presiden berikut ini yang akan anda pilih?’. Hasilnya, elektabilitas Prabowo-Gibran tembus 50%.

Berikut ini hasil surveinya:
– Prabowo-Gibran 50,9%
– Ganjar-Mahfud 23,5%
– Anies-Cak Imin 18,7%
TT/TJ 6,9%

Direktur Eksekutif SPIN, Igor Digrantara membeberkan survei tersebut. Dia menyoroti secara khusus terkait keinginan mayoritas responden yang ingin Pilpres 2024 berlangsung sekali putaran.

“Melihat keinginan publik agar Pemilu berjalan satu putaran, tampaknya terlihat dari terus meningkatnya elektabilitas pasangan calon Prabowo-Gibran. Survei per awal Januari 2024 ini, perolehan suara dukungan terhadap paslon nomor urut 2 meningkat menjadi 50,9%,” demikian paparan survei, Senin (15/1/2024).

“Sementara paslon nomor urut 1 dan 3 tampaknya terus mengalami degradasi. Terutama paslon Anies-Muhaimin, cukup dalam terkoreksi. Koreksi dukungan tersebut merupakan dampak dari gaya debat Anies yang menyerang Prabowo. Keinginan Anies untuk mendapatkan peningkatan poin dukungan justru yang memperoleh poin dukungan Prabowo,” lanjutnya. https://ujiemisiapel.com/

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Kelompok Houthi yang didukung Iran terus menyerang kapal komersial, menyerang kapal kontainer milik Amerika dengan rudal balistik meskipun dihantam gelombang serangan Amerika Serikat (AS) dan Inggris di Yaman.

Serangan terhadap kapal kontainer Gibraltar Eagle berbendera Kepulauan Marshall menunjukkan perluasan teater perang di luar Laut Merah hingga Teluk Aden.

Serangan tersebut mengenai ruang kargo kapal dan meskipun diperkirakan tidak menimbulkan kerusakan besar, hal ini menambah kekhawatiran bahwa serangan AS dan Inggris terhadap sasaran Houthi di Yaman tidak menurunkan kemampuan kelompok milisi tersebut untuk mengancam pelayaran komersial.

Qatar menjadi pengguna utama kapal kontainer terbaru yang mengumumkan bahwa mereka tidak akan mengirimkan gas cair melalui Laut Merah dalam waktu dekat. Tingkat lalu lintas dikatakan telah menurun secara keseluruhan sejak serangan di AS dan Inggris pada Kamis lalu.

Houthi, kelompok Syiah dukungan Iran yang telah berjuang untuk menguasai Yaman selama lebih dari 20 tahun, mengatakan lebih dari 30 serangan terhadap kapal komersial selama enam minggu terakhir adalah bagian dari upaya untuk menekan Israel agar mengizinkan lebih banyak bantuan kemanusiaan ke Gaza.

Kepala perunding Houthi, Mohammed Abdulsalam, mengatakan pada Senin (15/1/2024) bahwa posisi kelompok tersebut tidak berubah pascaserangan yang dipimpin AS, dan mengindikasikan bahwa serangan akan terus berlanjut pada kapal-kapal yang menuju ke Israel.

“Posisi kami terhadap peristiwa di Palestina dan agresi terhadap Gaza tidak berubah dan tidak akan berubah, baik setelah serangan maupun ancaman. Serangan untuk mencegah kapal-kapal Israel atau mereka yang menuju pelabuhan Palestina yang diduduki terus berlanjut,” ujarnya, dilansir The Guardian.

Kelompok Houthi mengatakan gencatan senjata Israel di Gaza akan menyebabkan turunnya arus kapal melalui Laut Merah dan meningkatkan tekanan pada rantai pasokan global.

Keberhasilan komparatif Houthi pada Senin menimbulkan pertanyaan tentang apakah aliansi angkatan laut AS-Inggris di lepas pantai Yaman harus melakukan serangkaian serangan lebih lanjut, atau bahkan mempertimbangkan untuk bekerja sama secara aktif dengan pasukan darat dari Dewan Kepemimpinan Presiden (PLC) yang diakui PBB – koalisi yang didukung Arab Saudi-UEA yang berbasis di Aden.

Menteri Pertahanan Inggris, Grant Shapps, mengatakan serangan terhadap Houthi yang dilakukan sejak Kamis malam dimaksudkan sebagai “aksi tunggal terbatas” dan bukan serangkaian serangan berkelanjutan.

Rishi Sunak, perdana menteri, mengatakan kepada anggota parlemen bahwa dia berharap Houthi akan mundur setelah “respons yang diperlukan dan proporsional”, namun menambahkan “Inggris tidak akan ragu untuk melindungi keamanan dan kepentingan kami”.

“Kami tetap siap untuk mendukung kata-kata kami dengan tindakan,” katanya.

Gempuran AS-Inggris

Pada hari Minggu, sebuah jet tempur AS juga menembak jatuh rudal jelajah milik Houthi yang ditembakkan dari wilayah Houthi dan ditujukan ke kapal perusak AS USS Laboon. Sebelumnya pada Senin, badan Operasi Perdagangan Maritim Inggris melaporkan sebuah kapal tak dikenal telah menangkis dua kapal kecil yang ingin naik ke kapal tersebut.

Selain itu, Komando Pusat AS mengatakan bahwa dua jam sebelum serangan terhadap Gibraltar Eagle, sebuah rudal jelajah yang ditembakkan dari daerah yang dikuasai Houthi gagal terbang dan mendarat di laut sehingga tidak menimbulkan kerusakan.

Sumber-sumber di Yaman mengatakan warga telah mendengar ledakan di dekat pelabuhan Hodeidah, yang menyiratkan bahwa AS dan Inggris terus melakukan operasi dalam upaya untuk memadamkan ancaman yang ditimbulkan oleh rudal Houthi. Banyak serangan pada Kamis malam ditujukan ke Hodeidah.

Seorang anggota terkemuka pemerintah Yaman yang diakui PBB mendesak negara-negara barat untuk memberikan peralatan militer, pelatihan, dan intelijen kepada pasukannya untuk membantu mengalahkan Houthi.

Mayor Jenderal Aidarus al-Zoubaidi yang berbasis di Aden, wakil kepala PLC yang beranggotakan delapan orang, mengatakan upaya Saudi selama hampir sembilan tahun untuk mengalahkan Houthi menunjukkan kekuatan udara saja tidak cukup. Dia mengeklaim banyak rudal Houthi tersembunyi di bawah tanah dan sulit dideteksi.

Upaya Perdamaian

Duta Besar Inggris untuk Yaman, Abda Sharif, pada Minggu bertemu dengan perdana menteri PLC, Maeen Abdul Mali, untuk membahas masa depan rencana perdamaian PBB untuk Yaman, dan bagaimana mencegah gerakan Houthi mendapatkan gelombang dukungan populer dengan memproyeksikan dirinya sebagai salah satu dari sedikit kelompok di Timur Tengah yang bersedia menunjukkan solidaritas aktif terhadap warga Palestina di Gaza.

Adapun pada akhir pekan, massa Houthi meneriakkan: “Kami tidak peduli dan menjadikan ini perang dunia.”

Setelah pertemuan di Aden pada Senin, PLC menyatakan sikapnya untuk menjauhkan diri dari Israel, dan menyuarakan “dukungan Yaman terhadap hak-hak sah rakyat Palestina, terutama dalam melawan pendudukan Israel dan mendirikan negara nasionalnya yang independen dan berdaulat penuh.”

Pernyataan tersebut memperingatkan milisi Houthi tentang “konsekuensi dari terus mengeksploitasi penindasan terhadap rakyat Palestina demi mencapai kepentingan Iran dan proyek ekspansionisnya di wilayah tersebut.” Dikatakan bahwa tindakan Houthi hanya mengalihkan perhatian dunia dari serangan pendudukan Israel dan “pelanggaran serius” dengan cara yang dapat melanjutkan “agresi.”

PLC ingin milisi Houthi diklasifikasikan sebagai kelompok teroris, sebutan yang akan diberikan Presiden AS Joe Biden segera setelah menjadi presiden. Label seperti itu akan mempersulit lembaga-lembaga kemanusiaan untuk bekerja sama dengan kelompok-kelompok Yaman yang terkait dengan Houthi. https://trukgandeng.com/

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Garda Revolusi Iran (IRGC) telah melancarkan serangan rudal terhadap beberapa sasaran “teroris” di Suriah dan wilayah Kurdistan Irak.

Kantor berita resmi pemerintah Iran, IRNA sebagaimana dikutip AFP, Selasa (16/1/2023), mengatakan Korps Garda Revolusi Islam menghancurkan “markas mata-mata” dan “kumpulan kelompok teroris anti-Iran” di Arbil, ibu kota wilayah otonomi Kurdistan Irak.

Garda Revolusi kemudian menyerang dengan rudal balistik di Suriah “tempat berkumpulnya para komandan dan unsur-unsur utama yang terkait dengan operasi teroris baru-baru ini, khususnya kelompok ISIS”.

Ia menambahkan bahwa serangan di Suriah adalah “respons terhadap kejahatan yang dilakukan kelompok teroris baru-baru ini yang secara tidak adil membunuh sekelompok rekan kita di Kerman dan Rask.”

Pada 3 Januari, pelaku bom bunuh diri menyerang kerumunan orang yang berkumpul di dekat makam Jenderal IRGC Qasem Soleimani yang dihormati di kota Kerman di selatan.

Serangan tersebut, yang kemudian diklaim oleh kelompok ISIS sebagai tanggung jawabnya, menewaskan sekitar 90 orang dan menyebabkan puluhan orang terluka.

Kementerian intelijen Iran mengatakan salah satu pelaku bom bunuh diri adalah warga negara Tajik, sedangkan identitas lainnya belum ditentukan.

Pada Desember, setidaknya 11 petugas polisi Iran tewas dalam serangan yang diklaim jihadis di sebuah kantor polisi di Rask, di provinsi tenggara Sistan-Baluchistan.

Serangan itu diklaim oleh Jaish al-Adl (Tentara Kehakiman) dalam pernyataan singkat di saluran Telegramnya. Pemberontakan ini dibentuk pada 2012 dan dimasukkan dalam daftar hitam oleh Iran sebagai kelompok “teroris”.

IRGC juga mengatakan pihaknya telah menyerang sasaran yang diduga milik Israel, dan mengumumkan “serangan rudal dan penghancuran markas mata-mata rezim Zionis (Mossad) di wilayah Kurdistan di Irak”, lapor IRNA.

“Markas besar ini menjadi pusat pengembangan operasi spionase dan perencanaan aksi teroris di wilayah tersebut,” katanya.

Pada November 2022, Iran telah melancarkan serangan rudal dan drone lintas batas terhadap kelompok oposisi Iran-Kurdi yang berbasis di Irak utara yang menuduhnya memicu gelombang protes di republik Islam tersebut.

Serangan itu terjadi tepat setelah protes dimulai di Iran atas kematian Mahsa Amini (22), seorang warga Kurdi Iran yang ditahan karena diduga melanggar aturan berpakaian ketat bagi perempuan di Iran. https://knalpotbelah.com/